Universal Shelter: I have a gold entry at each level!

Chapter 029: The Tycoon’s Move! Every Bit of Meat Counts, Even a Mosquito!

“I’m really curious what this wealthy No. 92 will bring out!”

“Yeah, every time he bids, he’s so generous. Whatever he brings out must be extraordinary!”

“Just looking at No. 92, he’s clearly a rich young master—look at the stunning woman by his side! I’ve never seen anyone that beautiful before!”

“……”

When Lin Xuan stepped onto the stage, murmurs began to ripple through the crowd. Everyone was filled with curiosity about the item he was about to exchange. Most believed that whatever he offered must be of exceptional quality—after all, Lin Xuan always exuded such grandeur!

Yet, the higher the expectation, the deeper the disappointment.

In full view of everyone, Lin Xuan surprisingly produced an iron axe.

“This item I’m exchanging is an iron axe—an upgraded version of the stone axe. As for its effect, I’m sure everyone’s already familiar: it not only fells trees but also slays monsters!” Lin Xuan explained with a smile.

However, his words were met with collective silence. Even Liu Ziming’s lips twitched in disbelief, and for a moment, he forgot his role as host.

It wasn’t entirely their fault—the impression Lin Xuan had built up previously was just so magnificent that everyone assumed he’d have something spectacular. But after waiting with bated breath for something extraordinary, they were given nothing more than an iron axe.

“Pfft! I thought it would be something valuable, but it’s just an iron axe!”

“Could it be that in the world of the rich, even extravagance means being thrifty?”

“Even though I don’t need an iron axe, I still look down on No. 92 for this—it’s just so… disappointing!”

“……”

The crowd buzzed with criticisms and murmurs.

Lin Xuan, however, paid no mind. To him, even the smallest morsel was profit. After all, even a little “mosquito” could fetch enough wood to buy Alia plenty of snacks and drinks.

Noticing Liu Ziming’s slight hesitation, Lin Xuan gave him a subtle reminder,

“Let’s begin.”

“Ah? O-okay…” Liu Ziming stammered as he gathered his composure.

“Everyone, please be quiet. Now, we shall start the bidding. The starting bid…”

At this, Liu Ziming paused awkwardly and looked toward Lin Xuan for confirmation.

“What’s the base price?” he asked.

“Let’s say 10 units of wood—wood only, please,” Lin Xuan replied casually.

Hearing this, Liu Ziming nodded apologetically and proceeded with the auction process.

“The starting bid is 10 units of wood. Is there anyone interested?”

“15 units of wood!”

No sooner had Liu Ziming finished speaking than someone immediately called out a bid of 15. Not even waiting for further queries, another voice from the other side shouted an even higher price.

“18 units of wood!”

“25 units of wood!”

“40 units of wood!”

The atmosphere instantly became lively as many without an iron axe scrambled to join the bidding. This development greatly pleased Lin Xuan.

In the end, the iron axe was sold to a young married woman for 70 units of wood. Lin Xuan approached her, handed over the axe, and after both parties confirmed its authenticity, he stowed 70 units of wood in his backpack.

Then, amidst curious stares from the onlookers, he returned to the stage.

“I have another iron axe!”

With a flick of his hand, another iron axe materialized in his grasp. This move left many in stunned silence—No. 92 was practically buying in bulk!

And it didn’t stop there. Once the second axe was sold, Lin Xuan immediately pulled out yet another iron axe.

“I have another iron axe!”

At this point, even Liu Ziming began to lose his composure. It wasn’t that he disdained the iron axe—after all, many hadn’t yet managed to get one. What unsettled him was why Lin Xuan didn’t simply bring out all his stock at once. Didn’t Lin Xuan know that Liu Ziming’s time was valuable?!

Despite these thoughts, Liu Ziming obediently carried on with the auction process.

“40 units of wood!”

“50 units of wood!”

“……”

The bids steadily climbed until they reached 75 units of wood. Judging by the previous transactions, 75 units seemed to be the ceiling. And indeed, after Liu Ziming confirmed the final bid, the third iron axe was sold for 75 units.

Shortly thereafter, Lin Xuan pulled out yet another iron axe.

“I have one more!”

Liu Ziming couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he cleared his throat and resumed the bidding. Half an hour later, Lin Xuan glanced into his backpack and found that all seven iron axes had been sold. That was his signal that the iron axe stock was finished. He tallied up his earnings—seven iron axes brought in a total of 515 units of wood, a pretty decent haul.

“Ah, if only I had enough materials back then… With what I have now, I could forge hundreds of iron axes!” Lin Xuan sighed, feeling as though he’d just lost a fortune. Yet there was nothing he could do. At that moment, he had been deep in the mines gathering resources, with no time to return to the shelter.

But that wasn’t the end—Lin Xuan already had a plan to recoup those losses. With the right strategy, the returns could be hundreds of millions, even billions!

Meanwhile, Liu Ziming, upon hearing that Lin Xuan had finished selling the iron axes, exhaled in relief and quickly addressed the crowd,

“Is there anyone else who wishes to exchange items?”

“If so, please…”

“Wait! I still have something I haven’t exchanged yet!”

Lin Xuan suddenly interrupted Liu Ziming’s announcement. With that, he flicked his hand and produced another item. The surrounding crowd, confused, initially assumed it was yet another iron axe. But in the next moment, when they saw what Lin Xuan held in his palm, they were instantly astounded, exclaiming:

“Whoa! It’s really this thing!”

“Now that’s valuable—I never thought someone would exchange such an item!”

“I’ve got to have it!”